Profile: Christian Bale

15 July 2008 11:19am

Real Name: Christian Charles Philip Bale

Birth Date: January 30, 1974

Image: Talented British-born actor

Best Known For: Playing the caped crusader in 2005 film Batman Begins and its upcoming sequel The Dark Knight

Early Life: Christian was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and has three older sisters. He lived in the UK, Portugal and the US as a child.

His mother appeared in a circus, so Christian became interested in performing at a young age and studied music and dance.

When he was eight he started appearing in commercials. Then in 1984 he was cast in West End play The Nerd.

He started to land small TV and film roles but got his big break at 12, when he bagged a showy part in Steven Spielberg's critically acclaimed Empire Of The Sun.

Career High: Christian won a host of accolades for his dazzling performance as a serial killer in American Psycho in 2000, including a Chlotrudis Award and a London Critics Circle Film Award.

Love Life: Christian tied the knot with former model Sandra "Sibi" Blazic in 2000. The pair have a three-year-old daughter, Emmeline.

Don't Mention: The Machinist. Christian sparked concern when he went on a crash diet to play an insomniac in the 2004 thriller - and reportedly lost a whopping 60lbs, going down to a scrawny 130lbs.

Words Of Wisdom: "I'd love to remain a secret and still work, but I also want people to see the movies I'm in and get a higher profile because of that. I like to think that as long as you continue choosing diverse roles, you can avoid becoming predictable."

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